Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a network-based video recording system. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for searching a client-side database of program guide information to identify program items of interest.
Description of Related Art
The number of programming options available to television viewers is constantly increasing, with television programming now available from the major networks, cable channels, satellite, pay-per-view, community access television, and so on. Paralleling this growing availability of television programming is a decrease in the amount of leisure time viewers have for watching television; due to job demands, time spent commuting, family responsibilities and the like. Because of these severe schedule constraints, the complaint is pervasive among viewers that “There's nothing on” when they do have time for television viewing, in spite of the unprecedented availability of television entertainment. This complaint is more a result of the difficulty of matching one's own schedule to network television schedules than it is due to quality or availability of television programming. The ability provided by VCR's and other recording devices to make automatic, unattended recordings of television programs has freed viewers from the dictates of network scheduling.
However, the viewer is still faced with the time-consuming chore of examining schedules for literally hundreds of television channels to identify programs of interest. As a result, electronic program guides have been developed to help viewers deal with the mass of programming information. Typically, such guides are provided in cable and satellite television environments. The program information is presented in a grid format, organized by time slot and channel. The guide is displayed by scrolling across the screen. However, these guides are not interactive; they cannot be searched, nor can the viewer control the display of information in any way. The viewer must simply passively watch the information scroll by, hoping that something useful or interesting will pass by.
Searchable program guides are now available. For example, S. Schein, J. Leftwich, Method and apparatus for searching a guide using program characteristics, U.S. Pat. No. 6,133,909 (Oct. 17, 2000) describe a searchable program guide that allows a viewer to search according to program attributes such as actors or directors. The guide described by Schein, et al. eases the viewer's task of locating programs of interest. Unfortunately, the described guide only allows the user to search the guide according to indexed attributes, such as actor or director. However, indexed attributes often fail to anticipate a user's search behavior. Thus, Schein, et al. do not provide the user with any way to search outside of those indexed attributes.
From the foregoing, it is apparent that an interactive program guide that affords the viewer more flexible search options would be a significant technological advance.